Two Faced
by Moshi Moshi Mai
Summary: On August 1st, 2008, this story was pronounced dead. Sorry.
1. Here's the Deal

**Two-faced**

_Moshi Moshi Mai_

**Chapter One: **Here's the Deal

_**H**ow did I get myself in this situation? _Loud sighing followed that train of thought as the owner of those thoughts pouted and stared out the window of the carriage they were currently occupying, headed towards Airyglyph. As the snowy scenery flashed by, all they could feel was sorry for themselves.

_Maria is _so_ going to owe me a bunch for doing this._

_

* * *

Three Days Ago…_

Sleep. Sleep was such a nice thing. You could escape from reality and fade into the nonexistence in your mind, or fly to some other fantasy world. It was like a vacation in your head. And for free, too.

This was the place Fayt Leingod was currently in, and he didn't feel like leaving anytime soon.

Unfortunately, during his nice vacation on the beach in his mind, the doors to his room burst open, shining an evil light into the room as none other than his twin sister, Maria, stomped into the room, emerald eyes flaming with indescribable rage.

"**Fayt!**" she hollered as loudly as she could. Her older brother by two minutes ignored the scream and smacked his lips together instead, rolling over on his side. Maria made a small strangled noise in her throat and proceeded to approach the large bed before kindly taking her brother's head and shaking it like a maraca.

"Gah! Maria, what are you doing!" Fayt yelled sleepily, grabbing her hands and trying to pry them off, but it was in vain as her tapered fingers clung onto his face more tightly.

"This sucks! This absolutely _sucks! _Fayt, you have to _do_ something! Please, don't make me go! You're on _my_ side, right? This is so _stupid!_" the nineteen year old went on, completely unaware of Fayt's brain sloshing back and forth.

"_Maria!_" The shaking abruptly stopped.

The boy sighed and ran a hand through his hair before looking at his sister, who had a huge frown on her face. "Why don't you start from the beginning and tell me what happened?"

Maria sighed dramatically and plopped down next to her twin. "Fine, I'll tell you the whole horrible story…"

_She was unbelievably excited. _

"_Eureka!" Maria cheered, happily patting herself on the back for a job well done. She had just invented the world's greatest gadget, if she could say so herself. It was the perfect thing to enter into the annual Rising Inventors Convention._

_Sure, her parents found it strange that a young lady such as herself would be interested in inventing things and the like when she should be practicing her etiquette, but this was her passion. Fayt supported her unconditionally, and was even her guinea pig during some experiments. _

_She sighed proudly and set the gadget on the table. It was a voice modifier; all you had to do was attach the gizmo near your vocal cords and it would change the pitch and quality of your voice to whatever setting you put into the remote. _

"_I can't wait to show this off!" she exclaimed, running her slender fingers over the tiny contraption fondly. _

"_You're going to have to, dear." _

_Maria whirled around and pulled off the goggles from her face, narrowing her eyes dangerously. _

"_Dad! What did I tell you about coming down here into my laboratory?" the bluenette griped, placing her gloved hands on her hips with a frown. Robert Leingod smiled sheepishly at his daughter._

"_My apologies, then, but I have something important I need to talk to you about."_

_Maria tensed. It was never good when her father had "something important to talk about." She slowly sat down on her stool and peeled off the thick gloves as her father grabbed another stool nearby and sat in front of her. _

"_Now, before you do anything rash, let me explain the situation…Your mother and I have agreed with the Nox family to wed you to their son, Albel." So much for being eloquent with words. Needless to say, Maria flipped out and the rest was history._

Fayt blinked slowly at his fuming sister, slowly digesting the situation. "Wow…that _does_ suck," he murmured to himself. Maria threw her hands up into the air and rolled her eyes skyward.

"Yeah, you think? Fayt, you _have_ to do something about this! There's no way I'm marrying someone I don't even _know!_ Plus, Dad says I have to leave in three days and the Rising Inventors Convention is in a month!"

Her brother scratched his head and sighed before looking at Maria straight-on. "Maria, you knew this would happen eventually. Dad's been best buds with that Sir Nox guy since his teenage years, and it was only natural that they wanted to wed you and their son since we're both noble families…hey, are you listening?"

"No."

"_Maria…_"

Said girl sighed impatiently and grumbled. "Look, I know, but why couldn't it have been later on? Why now, when I just created the world's best gadget ever?"

"What do you want me to do about this, Maria?" The green-eyed girl paused in her silent fuming and frowned. "Exactly, there's nothing I can do about it. Dad wouldn't change his mind just because I asked him to – "

The door opened quietly and both siblings glanced as a maid entered the room. She smiled in greeting and looked at Fayt. "Maria, your father wants to talk to you about arrangements that will be made for your journey to Airyglyph. He asks that you refrain from kicking him in the shin again," the brunette added as an afterthought, hiding a smile behind her hand.

"Uh, I'm not Maria," Fayt said, jabbing a thumb towards his sister, "That's Maria." The maid blinked and slowly turned a pale shade of pink as she realized her mistake. She bowed quickly and laughed.

"My apologies, it's just that you two look so similar, I can't really tell the difference sometimes." And without further explanation, the maid exited the room, leaving a nice silence.

Maria slowly turned towards her brother, a wicked grin on her face. She knew Fayt knew what she was thinking due to the groan that followed the look she gave him.

"Maria, _no. _I'm not going to do that."

"Aw, c'mon! We used to switch places all the time as kids! You would wear a wig and I would tuck my hair in a cap and no one would know the difference! Remember?" Maria exclaimed, looking excited.

"Yeah, when we were _kids._ I don't know if you noticed, but my voice has gone down several octaves. I'm pretty sure Mom and Dad would notice if you suddenly sounded like me. Besides, if I went as you, they'd be suspicious of where _I _had disappeared off to."

Maria frowned a little, and Fayt felt relief flow through his body at his triumph. Then all relief flew out as a brilliant smile appeared on his sister's face.

"That's it! Fayt, the gadget that I created for the convention is a voice modifier! I can make you sound like me using it! And as for where you will pretend to be, you can just tell our parents that you want to travel around the country. You've always wanted to do that anyway!"

Fayt just stared at Maria, not knowing what to say. The plan was so ludicrous that it just might work. "Wait a second, if I'm using the voice modifier, what are _you_ going to bring to the convention?"

"Oh," Maria waved a hand dismissively, "I'll just invent another one. No big deal."

"What do I get out of this, anyway," the blue-haired youth muttered, already feeling himself giving in.

"The undying love of your twin sister and a chance to explore the country!"

Fayt sighed. "Fine, I'll do it," Maria squealed, "But if Mom or Dad find out about this, you're taking all the blame." Maria rolled her eyes and shook hands with Fayt to confirm their alliance.

"Don't worry, bro, they'll never know."

* * *

_Two Days Ago…_

"Testing, testing."

Maria howled with laughter, clapping in delight as her brother stared at her with a dull expression on his face. The two siblings were in Maria's bedroom, their secret plan in action.

"Wow, you sound just like me!" she exclaimed, proud of her invention.

"I don't know how we're going to pull this off," Fayt muttered in Maria's voice, reluctantly slipping a wig onto his head. It felt itchy and weird, but it worked quite nicely. If he didn't know any better, he would've thought he _was_ Maria. "You're so lucky I'm your twin."

"Don't I know it," she replied hastily, picking up a dress from the bed and handing it over to Fayt. He eyed the clothing oddly. It was full of dark green ruffles and lace and there were lacey white gloves as well. It looked like it would be a ball of fun to put on. "This is what you're going to wear the day after tomorrow. I have a feeling you'll need my help putting it on."

Fayt nodded. "Hmm…anything else we should do?"

"I think we got everything set. You told Mom and Dad that you're going traveling, right?" Fayt nodded the affirmative. "Alright then. They'll think you left tonight so you don't have to wave goodbye to yourself when you leave for Airyglyph." She grinned at her little joke and Fayt gave her a dry look.

"Right. I guess I'll go back to my room and pack for my fake journey," Fayt said sarcastically, exiting his sister's room.

"You have fun with that."

* * *

_One Day Ago…_

Since Fayt had already "left" on his journey, he was stuck in Maria's room the whole day. She would come into the room every now and then to make sure he hadn't left and wandered off somewhere. Currently he was hiding under the bed, playing hide-and-go-seek with his fellow dust bunnies.

Maria's head suddenly appeared at the bottom of the bed and he squished a yelp. "Geez, don't _do_ that! Warn somebody before you do that. Your face is scary up close!"

"It's the same as your face," she replied easily, ignoring the glare sent her way. "Anyway, here's some food we had today for lunch. Mom thinks I'm turning into a pig thanks to you and your need for food."

Fayt rolled his eyes as he dug into the steak Maria handed to him. "Don't blame me on your gluttonous habits." Maria stuck her tongue out at him and he returned the gesture, both siblings sharing a smile.

"So when are you gonna leave for the convention?"

"At midnight after you leave. That way it's harder for the guards to see that I'm still here."

"Good idea."

"Yep, I've got this all planned out…Oh! I almost forgot," she stood up and walked across the room, reaching for something in her drawer before returning and handing Fayt a small device, "We'll need to keep in touch, just in case something goes wrong, so here's a communicator. Just press that green button right there when you need to reach me." Fayt accepted the device and pocketed it.

"When are we gonna switch places at the Nox estate?"

"The convention will probably be done within a month or so. I'll contact you on the communicator so you know when."

"Ok, that works."

"Cool, now all you have to do is wait until morning. You should get some beauty sleep," Maria teased.

"What are you talking about? I'm already beautiful," Fayt replied, laughing when Maria rolled her eyes.

* * *

_A few hours earlier…_

"How the hell can you _breathe_ in this thing?" Fayt complained as Maria pulled the zipper up on the green dress.

"Easy – you don't."

"…"

She ignored his silence and adjusted the wig on his head, straightening it out neatly. After that she handed him two circular soft objects, and at the clueless expression he gave her, she promptly shoved them down his chest and pushed them around until it looked like the real thing. Then she went on to attach the voice modifier near his vocal cords.

"Testing," Fayt spoke clearly, rolling his eyes when Maria started to silently laugh.

"Good, it's working. Now you're going to have to put on some make-up…"

"I _what?_ You never said _anything_ about wearing make-up, Maria."

His sister looked innocent. "Well, you _are_ a lady now, _Maria_, so it's only obvious that you'd have to wear some." Without warning, a make-up set appeared in her hands and she attacked his face with the weapons of cosmetology, skillfully dabbing blush here and there.

After a few minutes of struggling on Fayt's part, Maria stepped back to admire her handiwork. "Nice. You look just like me!"

"Woo-hoo." Fayt approached the vanity mirror in her room and stared for a few seconds. "Hey, you're not kidding. Though, like any guy in my situation, I feel awkward with all this, you did a pretty good job, Sis." Maria beamed.

A knock at the door sounded and the siblings exchanged a glance before Maria dived into the closet.

"Uh…who is it?" Fayt asked, wrinkling his nose. He was still getting used to sounding like a girl.

"It's me," Ryoko's muffled voice said from the other side of the door. "Are you ready to leave, Maria?"

"Yes, Mom!" Fayt yelled back. Maria gave him the thumbs up signal from the sanctuary of the closet and Fayt breathed in deeply before opening the door. This was the first test to see if he could fool someone.

Ryoko Leingod stared at Fayt for a good while, her eyes squinting up at him.

"Uh…Mom? What's wrong?" Fayt asked, feeling sweat starting down the side of his face.

Ryoko blinked and then a smile appeared on her face. "You look lovely, dear. You just have a little something on your face…right…here." She reached out and lightly flicked off some of the blush that had smeared a little too much. Fayt inwardly breathed a sigh of relief.

"Oh, thanks Mom." The two "women" proceeded down the winding staircase where Robert was waiting next to the carriage. A pleased smile appeared on his face upon seeing his daughter all dressed up.

"You look beautiful, Maria."

"Who, me? Nah…you flatter me with your words, Daddy," Fayt said loudly, his voice reaching the real Maria watching from the window. She rolled her eyes.

"I so do _not_ talk like that," she hissed quietly.

Robert laughed. "Oh, but I'm telling you the truth, dear. It's too bad Fayt suddenly wanted to leave. I would've liked to take a family picture, but oh well…"

Fayt shrugged and proceeded into the carriage, waving at his parents as the door closed. "Bye, Mom, Dad! I'll miss you!" he yelled, sticking his tongue out at Maria as she did the same. After their house had disappeared, Fayt turned around in his seat and crossed his arms.

"What have I gotten myself into?"

* * *

**A/N – **So, what do you guys think? Sound interesting? Just so you know, I don't plan on updating this until June due to semester exams. Anyways, tell me what you think:D 

**Moshi Moshi Mai**


	2. Here's Your Man

**Two-faced**

_Moshi Moshi Mai_

**Chapter Two:** Here's Your Man

**M**aria watched the carriage carrying her brother as it disappeared beyond the horizon, fading from her point of view. She sighed, half worried and half excited, wringing her hands.

"Good luck, Fayt."

* * *

There was snow everywhere. Everywhere he looked, there it was: snow. Fayt was fascinated by the simple white substance because back home temperatures were so constant that the weather never dropped below freezing. He shivered a bit in the gigantic dress he had been shoved into and amused himself by poking his fake breasts, which were a little too flexible. He grinned, feeling silly. 

The sound of the horses dragging the carriage was comforting, and the blue-haired boy listened to it halfheartedly before becoming bored again. The scenery seemed to stay the same. Showers of snow sprinkled lightly onto the white ground, and the rugged mountains loomed on both sides of the pathway like sentinels.

He leaned his head out of the open window and shouted to the driver. "Are we there yet?"

The burly forty-something year old man glanced back at the "princess" and inwardly sighed beneath the layers of clothing and scarves surrounding him. This had to be the ninth time she had asked that question.

"Not yet, Lady Maria. If we _were_ there, I think you would know," he stated calmly, but Fayt didn't miss the bite in his voice. Grumbling, the bluenette leaned back inside the warm carriage and crossed his arms.

Minutes passed by like hours, but eventually the snowy pathway turned into a stone bridge and the driver announced their arrival into the city known as Airyglyph. The atmosphere was definitely not the same as back home. Everywhere, peasants lined the streets and corners. The amount of technology was dearth in comparison to back home. Still, there were some children running around and chasing each other, and warm fires could be seen inside private homes.

So this was where he was going to stay for the next month, huh? It seemed very homey.

The carriage pulled to an abrupt halt, and Fayt curiously poked his head out again. They had arrived at the front entrance of the city's castle. Guards lined the walls, their faces serious, eyes hidden behind lowered helmets, swords in their scabbards and massive, dark spears in their hands.

The door opened and the nineteen year old timidly stepped out, clenching his teeth. It was _freezing._ Inside the moving carriage, the boy hadn't really taken notice of the temperature because he was warm and toasty, but now that the warmth had left him, he was shivering underneath his frilly dress.

He grabbed the arm of his escort, his fingers chilly. The escort jumped at the sudden contact, feeling his body warmth evaporate as Fayt absorbed it. As the carriage drove away somewhere, the two entered through the main castle doors, ignoring the two guards stationed there as they bowed their heads.

The inside of the castle was slightly warmer. Fireplaces decorated the roomy place here and there, maids and butlers bustled about without sending them a second glance, and tapestries hung from the stone walls.

The escort led Fayt up the long stairway, and after ascending for a while, they finally made it to the audience chamber, where Fayt could see a figure sitting upon a throne, a big burly soldier standing upright next to him. At this point, the escort bowed and left the room, leaving Fayt feeling very self-conscious and nervous. What was he supposed to do? He realized Maria hadn't informed him of any procedures, if there were any.

"Crap," the blue-haired boy muttered to himself as the figure on the throne who he supposed was the king continued to sit there, staring at him curiously. The man was wearing a laurel around his head, and his hair was down to his shoulders and a deep brown. He had a pointy mustache and goatee, and he was wearing a long royal cape that hid body armor.

"My lady," King Arzei spoke, his deep voice echoing in the audience chamber. Fayt jumped and decided a curtsy was the best option, so he tried to imitate what he had seen his younger sister do. He managed a very messy one, and he had to stop himself from teetering off sideways.

_Great first impression, Fayt, _he thought to himself sarcastically.

"State your name, please."

"My name is Maria Traydor," Fayt announced, feeling himself fight down a grin.

The king arched a regal brow. "Traydor?" he asked softly, "I was under the presumption that your last name was Leingod."

"I prefer using my mother's maiden name."

Arzei nodded in understanding. "Very well. Welcome to my castle, Miss Traydor. I am aware you have been arranged to marry one of my captains. His father is the former Captain of the Dragon Brigade, and he has told me countless times about this marriage. I myself am quite pleased about this arrangement."

Fayt nodded, not knowing what else to do. Geez, this was kind of awkward. The soldier that stood next to the king was just _standing _there. It must be a pretty life-altering job.

"I am sure you have heard his name," King Airyglyph XIII continued on, unaware of Fayt's drifting mind, "He's an excellent captain, though he has a reputation for being slightly twisted…"

Fayt's emerald eyes were now drifting about the chamber. It was well decorated with the royal colors of the city, and there were four doors behind the throne, most likely the king's chambers and other important places. He wondered where he would be sleeping. It might be pretty fun to explore this place after he had settled in.

"Well, anyway, do not be bothered by that reputation. I know him quite well, and he isn't all _that_ bad…"

Fayt shifted. This was kind of a long introduction. It almost seemed like the king was stalling. The teenager coughed, drawing Arzei's attention away from listing off the Captain of the Black Brigade's good qualities.

"I don't mean to be rude or anything, Your Highness, but I was wondering if you knew where I would be staying?"

Arzei blinked and then sagely nodded, lifting up an arm and motioning absently with it. "Ah, yes, you will not be staying at the castle, but at the Nox Estate nearby in the town known as Kirlsa. I think you will find that the climate is more suitable there, although a bit arid, Miss Traydor."

"Oh. So, uh…when do I leave?"

"Whenever Sir Albel Nox reports back to me, which will be in but a few minutes. He was sent on a mission to the Mosel Dunes to eliminate some rather bothersome bandits in the area."

As if strangely on cue, the entrance doors to the castle below the audience chamber sprung open with a terrible crash, making Fayt jump in shock. The hustle and bustle of the servants down below had been brought to an abrupt halt, as if whoever had made the entrance had frozen life.

"**Arzei!**" came a ferocious roar. Fayt's eyes locked onto the middle-aged king who had a tired look in his eyes, as if this was a natural occurrence within his kingdom. The bluenette was surprised that the sovereign didn't look in the least indignant about being called by his first name.

The sound of heavy metal resounded slowly and deliberately up the stone steps of the castle, and the footsteps of the servants were brought back to life. Fayt had a feeling they were scurrying out of the way of whomever was now approaching the audience chamber.

"_Get out of my way, maggots!_" came the same chilling voice, growing louder in volume. The sound of a sword slashing through the air soon followed that speech, as well as a muffled shriek as whoever was unfortunately attacked managed to escape with his life.

"Umm…who is that?" Fayt whispered to the king, feeling quite uneasy. He didn't want to be caught in the middle of some bloodshed, or even to meet whomever was stomping up the stairs at that moment in time.

King Airyglyph XIII coughed politely behind his hand, blocking out Fayt's question just as the boy was speaking. The young boy raised a brow at that.

The heavy doors that Fayt had previously come through were opened again with a dramatic creak as the person applying force to them pushed forward slowly. Fayt felt terrified. His back was to the person, but he could sense a presence that chilled his bones. There was an eerie and overstretched silence before the clanking of metallic combat boots began their way towards the throne.

Fayt winced as a sword was dragged across the stone floor, making an intolerable screeching noise. As the presence came nearer, Fayt tensed, afraid to move lest the intruder pounce at him like an angry jaguar. The blue-haired boy let out a surprised gasp as a sharp metallic claw grasped his shoulder and shoved him aside as if he was a mere object.

"_Hey!_" Fayt shouted after getting over his initial shock. The owner of the clawed hand turned around at the outburst and silenced the blue-haired man with a deadly gaze of feral red behind a curtain of shaggy two-toned hair.

"If you know what's best for you, _worm_, you had better – "

"Albel." The man referred to as Albel closed his mouth and focused his attention on the king in front of him. "I do not appreciate you manhandling nor disrespecting a guest of mine."

Albel sneered and pointed his long sword at Arzei, gnashing his teeth as he ground out, "That _mission_ was a complete waste of my energy and time. You could've saved me the trouble of disposing of that idiotic lot and sent out a force of your weaker men."

Arzei cocked his head to the side, propping his chin into the palm of his hand. "You seemed a bit restless these past few weeks since the news of your marriage to Maria Traydor struck you, so I thought sending you on a small task would ease the tension a bit."

"I wasn't restless!" the dark-haired man roared, sheathing the sharp sword. "Why would a mere woman get me riled up?"

Airyglyph XIII merely shrugged, sighing. "Well, I guess I was wrong…"

"Bah," Albel replied, narrowing his catlike eyes, "I will retire to my quarters, then. Tell me when the woman arrives." The Captain of the Black Brigade whirled around on his heels, the black cloak covering his armor floating gently around his body. He noted the woman standing before the king next to him and frowned slightly. Her hair was a strange color. "And who is this? I was not aware of a guest. Is she from Aquaria?"

"No, she's from Greeton…"

Albel looked stunned. "Don't tell me _this_ pathetic-looking fool is Maria Traydor?"

_Pathetic-looking fool? _Fayt frowned and crossed his arms, feeling highly offended. _I don't think I look bad…_

"Albel," Arzei spoke in a strangely calm voice. The menacing gaze of the armor-clad captain switched to his sovereign. "You are correct. This young lady will be your future wife, and I'm ashamed of this first meeting. You have left a bad impression on her already."

"Bah," Albel muttered, "I tire of your formalities." The red-eyed captain switched his gaze to Fayt, who blinked back at him, feeling uncomfortable with the probing glance. "I shall retire to my room and return to Kirlsa tomorrow morning before dawn. Do as you please, wench."

"_Hey!_" Fayt shouted, feeling ridiculous for shouting that word twice in a short amount of time. But…no one indirectly called his sister a wench!

Albel raised a brow and looked down at the slightly shorter man with condescendence. "Is that the only thing you are capable of saying, fool?"

The bluenette bristled at the rude tone in which the shaggy-haired man spoke to him, turning red slightly. The nerve of this jerk! Then Fayt smirked.

"No, I just think that's all you'll be capable of getting from me."

For a moment, there was complete silence; then, the sound of the king shifting uncomfortably in his seat. And then suddenly, a something that sounded like an amused bark erupted from Albel the Wicked's mouth. He sneered at Fayt who glared right back.

"Like you could have anything to offer that I would want." Despite the harsh remark, a pleased smile stretched at the corners of the captain's lips as he broke the stare-down and walked out of the room, his two long tails swaying behind him.

* * *

**A/N – **Yay, thanks for the reviews! I'm glad you guys like it! I'd also like to take this moment to apologize for the ridiculously long wait. I'm in my junior year of high school – the most stressful year by far – so writing in my free time has become almost scarce. Thank you for those who have patiently waited, and thank to those who asked me to update, also. I got the review alert in my e-mail and when I saw them, I remembered about this story! _sweat drop _Please continue to review! 

**Moshi Moshi Mai **


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